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"There were different groups during this time that used the caves, clearly it wasn't a domestic cave.

"In prehistoric times it was probably used for rituals and cemeteries so as to dispose of remains of people.

“For the Maya, it was a cave of ancestors.

"This cave was used by the Maya, they respected the remains that were already there and left their own remains inside."

The remains of the Maya ancient civilisation have been discovered by archaeologists in Mexico (Image: INAH)

Earlier this month, scientists claimed an enormous drought that swept across Mexico around 1,000 years ago triggered the demise of the Mayas.

Those studying the climate at the time of the ancient civilisation found rainfall fell by up to 70 percent at the time the region’s city states were abandoned.

Nick Evans, a PhD student at the University of Cambridge, was part of a team of international researchers that was able to calculate the conditions on the Yucatan Peninsula at the time of the decline using sediment samples from a local lake.

He said: "The role of climate change in the collapse of Classic Maya civilisation is somewhat controversial, partly because previous records are limited to qualitative reconstructions, for example whether conditions were wetter or drier.

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Three Maya skeletons were found in the Puyil cave in southern Mexico (Image: INAH)

"Our study represents a substantial advance as it provides statistically robust estimates of rainfall and humidity levels during the Maya downfall."

The Maya civilisation was noted for its hieroglyphic script - the only known fully developed writing system of the pre-Columbian Americas.

As one of the most dominant civilisations in Mesoamercia, they built cities with elaborate ceremonial buildings and huge stone pyramids to form large parts of Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador.

They also made advances in agriculture, calendar-making, and mathematics, reaching their peak at around the sixth century AD.

Archaeological discoveries

Thu, July 14, 2016

Roman artefacts, Saxon burial sites and even a royal chapel have been unearthed by archaeologists in the UK.